Gifted
by Mapograph
Summary: In the smog-covered alleys of Kiavahr, among the tall walls of factories and long knives of merciless gangs, future Chapter Master of the Raven Guard Kayvaan Shrike is on the run from pursuers that won't stop until he's dead - or worse. He's not a Raven Guard yet, not even an aspirant, but the masters of the Ravenspire have already noticed a fledgling talent...


As he ran into another narrow alley, his bare feet hit a puddle and he slipped and fell on the ground, muddy water spraying all around him. Kay stifled a hiss of pain as the rash of wounds on his legs opened yet again and the broken bone in his forearm dislodged ever so slightly. It had cut through the skin when it had broken and the two parts stuck out like a broken stick. He didn't know how to mend it, he hadn't had _time_ to do anything about it and a torrent of blood was running down his arm, mixing now with the water, painting it a darker shade of brown. Shivering with exhaustion, Kay tried to stand up, then slid on his knees again and cried out as the broken bones bent even more. He managed to sit up on his legs in the muddy water and wiped blood from the cut lip, then let his unhurt hand go up, feeling the bruise under his right eye. With all else his body had suffered, he barely felt his own hand on his skin.

Shivering in the icy cold water, he looked back, wincing at the fresh scars all over his back. Tall walls of worker habs surrounding the narrow street, cover of industrial smog overhead and mud-brown dirty lamps. It all created a mosaic of shadows behind him and Kay hoped he had used it well enough to throw his pursuers off his track. Not for long, he feared. Not for long.

He turned back and shivered again, pressing his broken arm to his stomach. It'd been ten shifts that he had been running away from Skavis' hunting rats, stumbling and pushing forward; at least fifteen since Skavis had started breaking bones, cutting and whipping Kay for information; sixteen since Kay had cut Skavis' lieutenant's throat with a shard of glass in the last desperate attempt to push his capture away in time; good forty since the hunt had begun in the earnest; forty two since Kay had foolishly agreed to run one last message for Renne. Kay wondered whether he had slept anything at all since that misguided boast. He must've, hadn't he? He supposed so, he'd have been long dead otherwise…  
 _You'll be long dead if you don't move, too_ , he told himself and groaned, trying to get on his feet again. He didn't have time to procrastinate and wallow in his own misery, he had to reach Renne, he had to-

A gleeful howl cut through the air and Kay looked behind in terror, his heart racing, pain forgotten for a moment as he scrambled to his feet. Hidden by the mist at the end of the long alley, hulking forms of Skavis' rats materialized, huge men armed with knives with blades the length of Kay's forearm and width of his open palm. Kay pressed himself to the wall, sliding into the shadows underneath a street lamp and moving, step by uneasy step, towards the corner, shutting down the part of his brain that screamed for him to run as fast as possible. He had to reach some populated areas… some factory, perhaps, maybe even a shrine… The rats were running and Kay tried to move faster, hoping that the shadows would hide him.

The rats came closer, looking around, their eyes wide and glassy, glowing in brown light. They seemed drugged out of their minds and Kay froze, pressing himself to the wall and hiding his pale face behind mud-covered hands, gritting his teeth as a drum of pain started to beat in his arm. His pursuers were three, all seemingly cast from the same mould in whatever factory produced bald giants with pieces of shrapnel fit in instead of long-lost teeth. Their leader, with a rat's tail tattooed around a milky orb of his left eye, ran to the end of the alley and looked around, leaning forward and seemingly sniffing the air. The other two stopped behind him, the nearest barely two steps from Kay, and the boy held back his breath as the giant slowly scanned the alley around him, his eyes gleaming like real rat's.

For a moment, as the brute turned in the other direction, Kay let himself hope that they'd fail to notice him and run forward again, but then the man turned again and looked right at him.

Kay didn't give him time to connect the facts. He tried to jump at the man, going for the knife, but his legs didn't carry him too far and he only grasped the other man's giant hand before sliding down. The rat chuckled and raised his knife arm. Kay barely moved aside before the blade flashed past him, then turned and grabbed the hand, successfully this time, and bit the man's wrist with his teeth and nails. The man cried out in sudden surprise, letting go of the knife, and Kay, his mouth full of awful, metallic taste, slid down and grabbed it, then rolled aside, crying out as his legs flashed with pain.

The other rats reacted and Kay barely got out of the way of the second one, then slashed out and cut at the man's tendon. It snapped with an awful wet sound and the man roared in rage, his gleaming eyes turning back at Kay. For a moment, his other foot was raising, ready to crush boy's skull, but then the cut one gave out underneath him and Kay crawled away on all fours, reaching the wall and trying to get up, knife in his hands. Just as he managed to stand, he hit the rockrete again, something snapping in his back as a solid kick of metal-laden boot sent him to the ground. Before he could turn around, he was grabbed by the neck and pulled up, then smashed against the wall. He cried out, the pain nearly drowning his thoughts and dark spots dancing in front of his eyes, but his hand somehow still holding on to the knife.

He was turned around and came face to face with the rat, smiling maniacally, his mouth full of iron shards. Kay screamed and pushed the knife between the man's arm and neck, then again and again. Blood spurted out, spraying over everything. Kay fell to the ground again and tried to run, then saw the last of his pursuers, staring at him. Kay started to back off and the man laughed, then thrown his head back and gave another vicious howl. He was calling the others, Kay realized as the man jumped at him and pinned him to the ground.

Some other bone broke and Kay's vision swam and the man reached closer to him.

"Hel-lo!", the rat intoned, sing-song. "The Rat King wants you ba-ack!"

Kay didn't answer, his hands trying and failing to move aside the powerful arms holding down his wrists. He tried a kick to the groin, but it came out weak and the man laughed again, leaning even closer.

"I like the ones that _fight_. After the King's done with them, you know what we do? You know?"

Kay spat into his face and the man chuckled, licking his lips. Somehow, through the frantic beating of blood in his ears and wheezing breath, Kay could make out earthquake of approaching boots. The rat leaned even closer, so that maybe a centimetre separated them.

" _We sell them to the techpriests_.", he whispered, his voice rising with the last word. " _For servitor parts._ "

 _No!_ Adrenaline giving him one last spur, Kay screamed, shot up and bit into man's nose. Something crunched and his teeth met, with a nauseating mass left in his mouth. The man, blood spurting from his face, screamed in fury and leaned back, readying his fists to crush boy's skull.

Freeing his hands.

Kay grabbed the knife, and swung it, and it cut into the neck. One, two, three stabs and he was suddenly covered in something hot, thick and metallic. He pulled himself from underneath quickly-dying rat and spat out the man's nose. His vision swam and he dropped the knife as his own blood loss begun to get to him. He fell flat on the ground.  
 _No, not yet_. Somehow, he managed enough resolve to roll on his stomach, get the knife and slowly stand up.

Only to stare right at five other rats, led by a finely-clothed man with malicious smile and metal teeth.

"Kay boy.", Skavis said slowly. "Why, didn't you like my _tender care_?"

Kay didn't have enough air in his lungs to answer. He stood and stared, his legs shivering under him, his eyes barely seeing through the blood, his back hurting and something cracking in it with every ragged breath, his left arm pressed to his side, useless, and his knife hand getting slippery from water and blood. In a moment, he'd drop the knife, and then… Servitor conversion. _No, no. Not this…_ His teeth chattering from cold and exhaustion, he slowly raised his hand. One last time. He had to attack them one last time.  
Skavis chuckled.

"Aren't you one persistent kid. Pity you weren't born in the Taais. You'd make a fine rat."

Kay shook his head and regretted it immediately as his vision swam again. As he staggered on his feet, two rats flanking Skavis moved for him and he tried to regain his balance, to attack and go down fighting… Suddenly, a flat _pat_ sounded and the two's heads disappeared in a red mist.

For a moment, nothing moved, as if time itself paused in shock.

The bodies slowly slumped to the ground and other rats cried out, looking around frantically. A second later, the third rat's head exploded, then the fourth. Skavis was on the run by then, his boots clattering as he tried to get away from… whatever was happening. He didn't get far, though. Out of nowhere, a shadow appeared in alley's exit and a blink of an eye later Skavis' headless body fell to the ground as well.

Kay blinked, his thoughts trickling slowly. _What… what just happened?_ He took a small step back, nearly slipping on the blood. The giant shadow moved closer, coalescing into humanoid form. Kay took a step around the man he had killed, trying to get away from the titan he was now staring at. He grabbed his knife a little bit stronger, his head going up to see the whole of the newcomer. Whoever they were, they were twice as tall as Kay and way bigger than even Skavis' rats. They were encased in a black, polished suit of armour, with a beaked mask on the head and glowing red eyes narrowed in rage. They held something in their hands and Kay remembered the firearms wielded by techpriests' mindless cohorts. A smallest spark of recognition flashed in his mind, but he was too exhausted to follow up on it.

The titan stopped and so did Kay, feeling the blood running down his legs. He let the knife slip out of his hands and heard it clatter on the ground. It would be useless against titan's body anyway.

Then the giant spoke, his voice rumbling and metallic.

"Do not fear, Kayvaan Shrike. I have no intention to hurt you."

Before Kay could process what the titan said and how he had known his name, he added:

"I want you to go with me."

Kay shook his head, backing off, turning to run, taking the first few steps… Another titan, a mirror image of the first one, emerged from the other end of the alley.

"You needn't run.", the same voice said. "Come with us."

Kay turned to the side, backing against the wall, his vision blurred as it jumped from one titan to another and back. He pressed his back to the cold bricks, rising his hand and trying to curl it into fist, shaking his head. He had to run. They were closing in on him. He had to run, he had to reach Renne, he had to escape the black titans, and the rats, and the techpriests…

He tried to duck beneath one of titans' arms, but he barely managed to stagger and fell down. A metal-encased arm grabbed him and pulled him up, then carried him somewhere. As Kay lay there, limp, the shadows, warm and friendly, crept from under the walls and enveloped him, dulling out the pain and bringing long-lost rest.

* * *

 _Beep...  
_ _Beep...  
_ _Beep..._

"… _ination shows him to be a good fit, physically, and Epistolary Tarassi's psychic scan yields positive result as well. All in all, he's good to go. Congratulations on another good picking._ "

Kay's mind was returning to him slowly and it was filled with sounds, beeping, quiet buzz of electrical machines, strange _plum_ s and voices, both distant and close. Muffled at first, it cleared out as he lay there.

" _'Picking'? He's a recruit, Apothecary, not a hunting trophy._ "

He was naked, he realized now, save for a cloth around his waist, and the air around him was chill. Strangely, he didn't feel any pain, only a low, hammer-like pressure in his head, rising and falling in rythm with the beats of his heart and the ping of machinery. He thought about opening his eyes, but decided against it and listened, trying to grasp as much from the conversation as he could.

" _Maybe. Does he know about it, though?_ "

 _How did I get here?_ Kay breathed slowly, trying to put together frantic memories of Skavis, running, beating, escape and… the titans. The two titans in black… He had tried to run, he remembered as much, but then nothing…

" _No. He wasn't fit for any conversation._ "

The titans must've taken him with them, but why? What did they want with him? Kay suddenly remember their techpriest weapons and his blood ran cold. _Servitor conversion…_

" _You should've grabbed him earlier._ "

Kay managed to swallow a building scream. He wouldn't let them turn him into a servitor. Anything but this.

" _I wanted to see as much as I could._ "

He tried to picture the place he was in. It must've been dark, and, going by the voices, rather small. It was filled with machines and the slab he was laying on. Was this the place where people who displeased the gangs were turned into servitors? Was the… the _Apothecary..._ displeased that he had to heal Kay to make him suitable for conversion?

" _And are you satisfied with what you've seen?_ "

Kay waited with baited breath.

" _I am… content._ "

This must've been one of the titans who had caught him, Kay realized. The voice lacked the metallic tinge, but was as cold and deep as he remembered.

" _That's good. He should awake in a few minutes, I will check on the other recruits._ "

Whatever the answer was, Kay didn't register it as heavy, deliberate footsteps rang out, moving away, and relief washed over him. He opened his eyes and saw a dark, unfamiliar ceiling with only a single, pale blue lamp glowing softly. Kay stared at it for a moment, captivated by its colour, before trying to sit up.

He couldn't. His hands and ankles, he now realized with cold wave of fear, were locked in some metal braces fit tight to his skin. He looked around, fighting down panic, focusing on everything around him. The room was small and under-lit, with strange machines hiding in shadows. A pair of cables ran out of one of them, reaching, he now noticed with another pang of cold, to his arm. Apart from this, there was a low ventilator hatch by the floor to his right, big enough for a small person to fit in and slightly ajar, with a couple of tools suggesting recent attempts at fixing, and a closed sliding door on the wall opposite the bed. There was no object or tool to grab, nothing in his hands' reach but the metal slab. Nothing loose, and nothing around the braces that suggested they may be picked open. Against all his senses calling for him to find a way out, Kay resigned himself to waiting.

A few moments later, the door slid to the side and one of the titans returned. He wore the same pitch-black armour with glowing red eyes, but an outline on his arm was white. Upon seeing Kay staring at him, he stopped in the doorway.

"Awake, I see.", he said, his voice metallic. "Do tell me, can you speak?"

Could he? Kay swallowed, his throat dry, and opened his mouth. No sound came out. He tried to speak and ended up coughing, spasms making the metal braces bite into his wrists. The Apothecary – for it must've been him – walked closer and held him back on the slab to stabilize him.

"Haven't spoken in a while, have you? Or do you not speak at all?"

Kay tried again.

"Can… just… haven't…"

"Great. Your name?"

The question, while impassive, was oddly comforting. They wouldn't ask if they were going to turn him into a servitor, now were they?

"K.. Kay Shrike. Kayvaan Shrike." It felt strange, his full name. No-one used it ever since his mother was embedded into her workstation with her skull filled up with cables. "Can I… can I ask a question?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Where am I?"

"Ah." The Apothecary moved back and pulled out a glowing dataslate, then started to check something on it. "As it is, you are in Apothecarion wing of the Ravenspire. I suppose you have never been beyond Kiavahr?"

There was a faint memory behind the name Ravenspire, but nothing Kay could grasp. He decided to focus on the question.

"No."

"Well, now you are. Welcome to Deliverance. Now, I have to perform a few more tests now that you're awake…"

 _Deliverance? The moon?_ Kay didn't have time to dwell on this before the Apothecary put the dataslate away and pulled the cables out of boy's arm, then opened the clamps. Kay took a deep breath.

"Stand up.", the Apothecary told him.

Kay didn't. He slipped down at the opposite side of the slab from the titan and jumped for the vent hatch. Hearing the Apothecary move after him, he shoved the grate aside and dove in, then scrambled forward, hearing angered shouting from behind for him to stop and return.

He didn't stop and he didn't look back. He didn't know where he was and what the men of the moon wanted from him, but if there was anything he had learned so far, it was that life never had anything good in stock for him.

* * *

The total darkness around him, the air rushing past and the low hum of ventilators were familiar and comforting as Kay curled up in the vent and hungrily bit into a piece of tasteless food he had stolen a few hours before. He had no idea how long he had been crawling the air ducks and vents – several shifts at the very least. It was only the second time he had managed to obtain some food and though it was little and tasted of dust, it was filling, and that had always been enough.

Ever since his escape from the Apothecarion wing, he had been hunted down. At first, they were waiting at the exists to the vents. Then, they let in some sweet-smelling gas. Kay managed to squeeze through some incredibly narrow slot into some sort of machine workshop and spent the next several hours playing hide and seek with titans searching through it, slipping from shadow to shadow behind their backs and staying motionless and quiet when they passed. Then, they let servoskulls with optical sensors into the vents and Kay quickly learned how to discern their distance and direction they were coming from by the low buzz of the generators that kept them aloft.

Amidst running, Kay had some time to think on what was happening around him. He recalled Ravenspire and armoured giants. Old rumours and urban legends spoke of Emperor's Angels living on Deliverance, coming down to Kiavahr and taking men to ascend with them into His glory. When a particularly good runner or a skilled gangster disappeared, people talked about the Raven Guard taking him with them. Kay had never been convinced about it – after all, it was far more likely they just died. Men died all the time, after all, and it made everyone feel better that the best among them went to become Emperor's Angles rather than simply proved to be less than advertised.

Now, though… there he was, on Deliverance, in the Ravenspire, searched for by Emperor's Angels of the Raven Guard. Seemed the tales weren't as made up as he had thought them to be.

But… it felt impossible. Him, to join the ranks of Emperor's Angels? He was _no-one_. The ones that were supposed to have been taken were names known, even famed, throughout the hive cities of Kiavahr, but Kay Shrike? Who was Kay Shrike? The only thing he had ever done was killing a few rats, and even then the Angels had to save him. What would they want with him?

 _Perhaps they need servants_ , he thought wishfully. He had seen servants in his sneaking around. They seemed well-fed, well-clothed and not beaten. As he had been creeping by them to steal the food, both times he had felt the urge to stand up and reveal himself, to join them and work for the Angels until the end of his life. It seemed like a good job, as direct a service to Him on Terra as Kay was likely to ever perform. He might even live long - forty, maybe even fifty years. But... he couldn't reveal himself. Not now, not when he had run away from the Apothecary. They wouldn't accept him anymore.

He finished eating and rested for a few moments before slowly turning around and moving on. He'd caught a few disjointed hours of uneasy sleep since his escape, every time finding a new secluded corner out of the vents just in case they would try to gas him again, and now he started to look for another such hideout. He could already feel his limbs tire, although it seemed trivial after what happened back on Kiavahr.

Kiavahr… somehow, it already felt like ages ago, the details vanishing into fine mist. He realized he couldn't remember the name of the rats' leader. And did he really kill those few men, or was he just hallucinat-

 _Clank!_

He froze. He didn't know that sound… He looked around blind, trying to hear where it came from. Behind him, one of the left-side disjunctions from the main pipe he was in. Again, the clank sounded, this time from one of right-side disjunctions. Kay didn't know what it was, but he begun to crawl forward, faster, to run away from it. The Angels must've found out a new way to hunt him down. Another clank, directly behind him, and the wind in the vent suddenly died down. Kay realized now what was happening. They were separating parts of the vents network.

They were trying to lock him up.

He hastened, not caring about the noise he was making now in his attempt to get out of the vents as quickly as possible. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let himself be pinned down… _Clank!_ A few more metres and his hand met a wall of cold metal. He crawled back, then forward into a smaller side vent. _Clank!_ He could almost feel the way locking behind him. He turned to the side, found another vent, started to crawl forward… _Clank!_ Behind him, a metal gate fell down, nearly crushing his toe. He pulled his legs to himself, pushed himself forward…

He slid over some grate and suddenly fell down, head first. He managed to soften the drop with his hands and crashed on the floor, rolled around and stopped on something. Sprawled on the ground, he looked up, covering his face as long-unseen light fell into his eyes. Like everywhere in the Ravenspire, the lights were actually quite pale, but it was enough to see. Kay rested for a few seconds.

He slowly rose to a crouch and looked around. He was between two rows of seats made of stone, large enough that his feet would dangle, had he tried to sit on them. Above him, the vent grate hung open, creaking slowly and deliberately until it finally went silent and left eerie quiet descending upon the room like a shroud.

Kay looked up and around the huge room. There were paintings on the walls, each easily bigger than even the Angels. They presented battle scenes, with armour-clad Astartes battling hordes of inhuman foes, a new horror on every image. The room was giant and Kay wondered how many more paintings and silent rows of seats were hiding in the gloom.

Slowly, like an itch on his back he couldn't scratch, he became aware of someone standing behind him. His heart thudding in his ears, he turned back and jumped into the shadows.

"Do not hide, please. There is no reason for you to fear."

The voice was… Kay struggled to define it. Not like metal-tinged growl of the titans, not like patronizing laughter of Renne, not like the ever-tired voice of his mother. It was a deep voice and… warm.

A figure emerged from between the rows of seats, an Angel, but without a helmet. He looked both human and inhuman, with bone pale skin and dark hair and eyes. Bird skulls and a huge talon hung from his belt, and on his face he wore a smile as warm as his voice. He stopped a few metres from Kay and went to one knee, so that their eyes were even.

"So you must be the famed Kayvaan Shrike so many are searching for. Please. You don't need to hide."

He looked Kay straight in the eye and the boy realized that despite the shadows engulfing him, the giant could see him as clearly as if he stood in light of an industrial lamp.

"I… I think I will stay here."

"Of course." The man nodded. After a moment, he added, "So I know your name, but you probably don't know anyone here. I am Chaplain Cordae."

Kay nodded warily, instantly on guard as Cordae reached to one of pouches on his belt and pulled something out of it. He unwrapped it and Kay staggered as delicious smell of still-warm food reached his nose. It felt rich, and his stomach felt empty, even after the tiny meal a few minutes ago.

Cordae put his hand out in Kay's direction.

"You must be hungry.", he said softly.

Kay almost walked out of the shadows and reached for smelling, warm food. At the last moment he caught himself and stopped, then felt anger buzzing within him as he realized what the Chaplain was doing. His hands curled into fists.

"I'm not some rat to be bated with food.", he spat out.

Cordae didn't take offense. He put the food back in his pouch and tilted his head.

"Is that so? Then why are you running?"

The question took Kay off guard and he struggle for an answer for a moment.

"Because I don't start fights I cannot win."

"That's good. I would've thought less of you if you tried to struggle against us. But tell me, are you running _from_ us or _to_ something? How do you plan to escape us? What next?"

Kay started to answer… Then realized he couldn't.

"I… I don't know. I just… survive. I always did."

Cordae's smile turned softer.

"That's not what life is about, you know. You need a purpose. Something to strive for. Never missed it?"

"Never had time to think of it."

"And now?"

Kay shook his head, trying to find a way out of the conversation. He didn't want to think of it. He didn't want to have an Angel dissect his mind only to find… to find… nothing. But… there was something in Cordae's voice that invited him to speak. Only he didn't know what to say.

The Chaplain must've seen it. He nodded slowly.

"Then come out of the shadows. There's no need to hide from us. We won't hurt you."

"But… I ran off. I sneaked out."

Cordae chuckled, in a friendly manner that somehow put Kay more at ease.

"Do you think the vent hatch was left open by accident? We leave it like this, to see what a recruit will do. You've exceeded our expectations."

Kay almost didn't hear the last sentence, so focused he was on one of the previous words.

"A recruit? For what?"

"For the Raven Guard, Kayvaan. We want you to join us."

 _What? No._ Kay shook his head again, quicker this time.

"No. I'm sorry, but it can't be me. You have the wrong man."

"Do we? We've been watching you ever since you've killed the first of Skavis' butchers, and I believe we have a man who has spent almost thirty days eluding a mass of frenzied killers on their own territory, didn't break under hours of torture – more even, escaped! – killed ten of his pursuers in total, and now has eluded the masters of the Ravenspire for almost a week. Don't underestimate yourself, Kayvaan. We wouldn't've chosen the wrong man."

Kay was still shaking his head and Cordae leaned closer, his body suddenly animate, as if some hidden fire was let out.

"Can't you see it? You have a gift. You can sneak by people searching for you, you can predict and avoid what we send against you, you can hide in the shadows mere metres from your pursuers – Emperor on Earth, the trio in the end would've probably passed right by you if it wasn't for the smell of blood. You're natural at hiding, and a natural killer, and this is exactly what the Raven Guard needs."

He paused for a moment, taking a breath and slowing down. Kayvaan stared at him, his mind in turmoil. After a second, Cordae smiled again.

"Kayvaan… have you attended the masses, perhaps? Have you heard the preachers saying that… for each one of us, the Emperor has given a purpose? What so you think yours is? Running errands for a gang locked in an absurd conflict against another petty gang for nothing at all until your luck runs out at the tender age of eighteen? Because I don't think so." He raised his head and indicated the paintings. "You've seen this. This is no artist's interpretation, there are _monsters_ out there, Kayvaan, monsters hiding in the shadows around the Imperium, beasts insidious and cunning, and all they want is Imperium's end and each and every last human slaughtered. This is why the Raven Guard exists. We protect mankind. We fight a war in the shadows, striking against the enemy in the dark he comes from." He looked back and Kay. "This is what we do and this is what you excel at, Kayvaan. You're _gifted_. You're gifted, so join the war in the shadows and let us polish this gift of yours. Let us turn you into Emperor's weapon. Stand up against the monsters and the murderers and fight the war that has a _purpose_."

Kay's breath caught in his throat as he looked into Cordae's eyes and saw Chaplain's fervent zeal in them. Here was a man who truly believed – no, _knew_ – what he lived for, the man who knew his case was the most noble of all, and he wanted to share this gift with Kay, and Kayvaan…

He wanted to be part of it.

He nodded.

"I… yes. I want to join it."

Cordae smiled, a warm smile that seemed to light up the room.

"Thank you.", he said. He stood up and waved towards the distant exit. "Come with me, then. We'll get you some clothing and food, and then your training will start."

Kayvaan nodded and followed the Chaplain, keeping to the shadows.


End file.
